


Once in a Lifetime

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Series: JayTim Week: Summer Edition 2017 [5]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Feels, Cancer, Cosplay, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Museums, Road Trips, Sad Ending, beach, bungee jumping, emotional breakdown, terminal illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-07 23:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11634354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: There's so much Tim wants to do before he dies and he has less time than he expected to do it.





	Once in a Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> Link to collab art in the end note!

“Cancer?”

“Yes.” The doctor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, then shuffled the stack of pamphlets in his hands for the third time. “Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to catch in the beginning stages because it doesn't cause a fluctuation in hormones or easily visible signs like other cancers do.”

“So, it's spread.”

“Unfortunately. The cancer cells have metastasized and reached other tissues. We could attempt several different therapies, but most of them have been found ineffective after this much time. There are some experimental treatments you could look into that might be able to give you a few more years.”

“There's no cure?”

“None.”

“How long do I have?”

“At the rate the cells appear to be growing, I’d say half a year at most. Of course, there’s no truly accurate way of determining how long you have. It could be shorter or longer. There are many cases of people living much longer than anyone could have anticipated.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Well, thank you for your time.”

His doctor stood hastily from his stool and held out all the pamphlets for Tim to take. “I’ve pulled everything I could find, but you can give us a call once you’ve had time to process and let us know if you’re looking for something else. Like I said, there are experimental treatments out there and I’m sure we can find one for you if none of those are appealing.”

“I appreciate all the effort you’re willing to go through, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary. Have a good rest of your day.”

“You, too.”

* * *

 

Tim’s knee bounced vigorously as he waited for Stephanie to arrive at the small café he asked her to meet him at. Instead of his typical cup of coffee, a cup of caffeine-free tea was clutched tightly in his hands to keep them from shaking. The piece of paper in his pocket felt like it was starting to burn a hole in his jeans, but he refused to pull it out. He knew the words on the page well enough to recite them without needing to look at the crinkled paper. It had only been a few hours and he already knew all the words by heart.

“You look like you’re thinking pretty hard about something. Didn’t you have your last final yesterday? If you’re worrying about your grade, I think you’re being utterly ridiculous.”

“Good to see you, too.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes as she dropped into the seat across from him. “Don’t sass me. I’m exhausted. Finals are kicking my ass. We can’t all be little geniuses.”

“For the last time, I’m not a genius.”

“Whatever you say. We all know the truth. So, what did you want to talk about?”

“I went to the doctor today.”

“Really?” The disbelief on Stephanie’s face made Tim regret starting so blatantly. “Why? Did something happen?”

“Not really. I’ve been feeling a little… I don’t know. Strange, I guess. I thought it might have something to do with my lack of spleen, but it’s not.”

“That’s good. You were in the hospital for months last time and I know how much you hated that. It would suck to spend the summer stuck in quarantine again.”

“I’m dying. It’s cancer. My pancreas was where it started, so it went unnoticed until now. It’s already spreading, so there’s not much they can do.”

“Hold on. Cancer. You have cancer!”

Instead of attempting to explain things to her again, Tim held the crumpled paper out to her and watched her face change as she read it. “They gave me pamphlets about treatment options, but I don’t want to do any of them.”

“You’ll die without treatment!”

“I’ll die either way! Current treatments will just hold it off a little longer and experimental treatments could help me or hurt me. The last thing I want is to spend the time I have left hooked up to machines and IVs in the hospital. I don’t want to be poked and prodded and pumped full of drugs.”

“What do you want?”

“There’s a lot of things I want to see. If this is the only chance I have to see them, then I need to do it now.”

“You want to travel?”

“I was thinking a road trip.”

“And who would be going on this road trip?”

“Jason?” Stephanie raised a judgemental eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “What?”

“Are you finally going to tell him how in love with him you are?”

“I can’t do that. It’d be selfish. The only reason I would be telling him is because I’m dying and that’s not fair to him. He’d either feel obligated to tell me he feels the same or tell me the truth and probably feel bad for not feeling the same!”

“Or he feels the same and deserves to know before it’s too late.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Jason doesn’t feel the same. I’m just the annoying kid that used to tug on his jacket and follow him around. The only reason he even talks to me is because my parents used to drop me off at the Manor, so Bruce made him keep me company.”

“You’re both morons.”

Despite the fact he wanted to protest, Tim decided it’d be better not to disagree with Stephanie when he needed her on his side. “Will you come with me to tell the others?”

“I’ll always be your backup.”

“Thanks. I love you, Steph.”

“Love you, Timmy. We should go do something fun to celebrate finals being over. I’ve been craving ice cream and a good game of paintball.”

“You’re on.”

* * *

 

Every eye in the room felt like it was boring right into Tim’s skull as he rocked awkwardly back and forth while he waited for Bruce to arrive. Most of the others had already been at the manor, with Barbara and Jason showing up not long after Tim and Stephanie. Bruce had been the only one still in the city and after Tim mentioned needing to talk to everyone, Dick had immediately called Bruce to see how much longer he would be. Something about the way Tim looked, must have tipped the others off to the nature of the news because they were all sending him cautious glances and spoke in abnormally calm voices. Even Damian hadn’t thrown cruel, offhanded comments in Tim’s direction.

The itch to get out of the room and be alone was starting to become too intense to ignore, when Bruce strode into the library. His icy blue eyes immediately landed on where stood Tim half hidden behind Stephanie. He raised an eyebrow at Tim, but didn’t say anything until he settled into the wingback chair only he ever sat in.

“What’s this about?” The neutral tone of his voice made it easier for Tim to fight back the raising anxiety clawing at his throat. “Lucius only let me leave early because I promised to get to the gala early. I need to get dressed soon or I’ll be late.”

“I found out some news today that I need to tell everyone. It’s kind of big. I’m not sure how to say it. Exactly.”

“I’m assuming Stephanie knows.”

“Yes.”

“Tell us the same way you told her.”

Tim let out a shaky breath and nodded his head, leaving his head down so he could stare down at his shoes and not see the people staring intently at him. “I had a doctor’s visit today because I’ve been feeling a little off lately. More than normal, I mean. They did a bunch of different tests and found something. It’s pretty hard to diagnose early.”

“Diagnosed with what?”

“Pancreatic cancer. It’s already spread. The doctor thinks I have six months at most.”

“Wayne Enterprises has ties to several medical research facilities. I’ll start-”

“Don’t. I mean…” After crossing his arms over his chest to make himself feel safer, he looked up so he could look Bruce directly in the eyes. “I don’t want to spend the only time I have left hooked up to tubes with doctors poking me and asking how I’m feeling on a scale of one to ten. There’s so much I want to do that I haven’t done. Wasting away in a hospital isn’t one of those things.”

“What do you want to do?”

“You’re not going to fight me on this?”

“You’re an adult now. If this is what you want to do, then I’m not going to force you to do something against your will. It’s your life, not mine.”

“I want to take a road trip. There are places I want to go and things I want to do, but I haven’t because things are always so busy and I thought I could always do it later. For me, this is later.”

“Then you’ll go on a road trip. I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say we’ll be here to help you if you need it. Whatever you need from us, we’ll do it.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Bruce stood from his chair and crossed the room in only a few strides, then placed a large hand on Tim’s shoulder. “You’ve been like a son to me for a long time. I’d do anything for you.”

* * *

 

The sight of Jason stretched out on the library couch reading a thick book wasn’t anything unusual to Tim. Most of the time, the library was always the first place he looked for Jason whenever he came over to the Manor. The others normally referred to the library as Jason’s room and joked he would move his bed in and live there if Alfred let him. It was one of the things Tim always admired about Jason. His ability to sit still for hours on end and just get lost in a good book.

“Hey.”

Blue-green eyes looked up at him in disinterested, then went back to the book. “Hey, Tim. Did you need something?”

“I wanted to ask you something, but we can talk some other time if you’re busy.”

“It’s fine. What did you want to ask?”

“It might seem a little weird, but I was wondering if you’d come with me? On the road trip, I mean. I need someone to drive because I can’t do it knowing I could hurt someone. I don’t want to put other people in danger.”

“Why me? Wouldn’t you rather go with one of the others?”

“They look at me differently now. I know they don’t mean to, but they do. This trip… I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen at the end. About what it means when it’s all over. I just want to have fun and experience life while I have the chance. We’ve never been close, but I trust you to do this with me and treat me the same as you always have.” Tim wiped at the tears prickling at the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself back down. “Obviously you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but could you at least think about it? It’ll probably be a week or two before I have everything planned out, so take your time.”

“What are you thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what do you have in mind? Where do you want to go? Just off the top of your head. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?”

“DC, New Orleans, Roswell, the Grand Canyon, Vancouver.”

“Interesting choices. It’ll be a pretty long trip.”

“Once in a lifetime, might as well get the most out of it.”

The couch creaked as Jason stood up, then he walked over to Tim and placed a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “If you’re sure you want me to be the one to come with you, then I’ll make sure the car’s packed and the tanks full before we leave.”

“Really? Just like that? You don’t have any other plans with Kori or Roy or anything?”

“Just like that.”

“Thank you for agreeing to do this. I really appreciate it.”

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s just two guys going on a fun road trip, right? No big deal.”

“Right.” Tim smiled down at his shoes to avoid getting flustered by looking Jason directly in the eyes. “You should pick out some things for us to do as well. It’s only fair.”

“I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”

“Great! Incredible even. I can’t wait. It’s going to be so fun!”

“Yeah, super fun.”

* * *

 

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” The concern in Dick’s voice nearly had Tim biting out a frustrated response, but he held his tongue. “There are lots of really promising experimental treatments out there. I’m sure Bruce could get you into any of them.”

“I’m sure, Dick. Look! I’m already packed and this is the tentative itinerary I made for the two of us. I pulled out some cash in case we need it. I’ve already double and tripled checked that I’ve got everything I think I’ll need. I’m sure about this.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll have a lot fun.”

“Very convincing.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

With a heavy sigh, Dick fell back onto Tim’s bed and patted the free space on his left. “You’re my baby brother. This kind of stuff isn’t supposed to happen to you or any of the others. I’m supposed to protect you and I can’t protect you from this.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I want to. I hate seeing you hurt. I hate seeing any of you hurt. If I could take this from you, I would.”

“I wouldn’t want you to. You’re my older brother. I don’t like seeing you hurt either.”

“It’s not fair.”

“That’s life. That’s what they always tell you, right?”

“Right. Life’s not fair.”

“Not at all.” Tim reached out to grab Dick’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “It’s fine though. Life happens and I’m not going to let it stop me. I’m going to live, until I can’t anymore.”

“How did you get so strong? I still remember when you were a tiny, little thing that could barely stand up for himself and now you talk like you’re going to punch life in the face.”

“I grew up. That tends to happen.”

“Very funny. Such a sarcastic shit. I still blame Stephanie for that.”

“Have you ever told her that?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve never said I wanted to be murdered in my sleep.”

A snort left Tim’s mouth before he could stop it or cover it up with his sleeve or the palm of his hand. “She totally would.”

“Totally.”

* * *

 

“Got everything?”

Tim slammed the car trunk shut, then leaned his hip against it as he turned to look at Jason with a raised eyebrow. “How many times are you going to ask me that before you’ll let me get in the car?”

“I just wanted to be sure. It’s a long trip. I’d hate for you to be bored because you left your laptop or something like that.”

“I made a list and checked it four times. I’m positive I’ve got everything. Do you have everything?”

“Yes.”

“Am I allowed in the car now?”

“It’s too early for sass. How are you even this awake? No one should be this awake at five in the morning.”

“I’ve had three cups of coffees.” The wide-eyed expression Jason got had Tim laughing and snorting into his hands. “Hurry up. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll hit traffic before we get out of Gotham and that’ll defeat the point of waking up this early in the first place.”

“You’re going to need a restroom so bad in the next hour. What if I decide not to pull over?”

“Very funny. Now, get in the car! I want to go.”

“Are you going to be this impatient the entire trip?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

A low groan left Jason’s mouth at the same time he slid into the car and slammed the door shut behind him. “Can’t wait. Where are we headed first?”

“Did you not look at the itinerary I sent you? I put everywhere we were going and what we’ll be doing. It took nearly three hours for me to make it.”

“I told you I’d go anywhere you wanted to go. All I’m doing is driving. You guide the way and I’ll follow.”

“That’s really sweet, but three hours. I took three hours to make that specifically for you and you didn’t even bother to look at it!”

“When we take our first break, I’ll take a look at it. Happy?”

“Our first stop isn’t that far.” Tim pulled out the GPS he bought just for their trip and put in the address for their first stop on their road trip. “We should be there before eight. I found a place for us to eat breakfast, then we’ll go on a guided tour. Of course, you’d know that if you bothered to read the itinerary.”

“How long are you going to use that against me?”

“As long as I can. Regretting this yet?”

“Not at all. Can I get that location now?”

“I could just give you directions and you could figure it out on your own.”

“Tell me where we’re going, Timothy.”

“Fine, Jason Peter Todd. First stop is Philly. Get the car in gear and let’s get out of here.”

* * *

 

His eyes roamed around the room, taking in all the exhibits at once so he could plan their route through the first area. If Tim weren’t so excited, he might have been concerned that Jason might be bored of going through museums. The other man hadn’t complained once so far, but every person had a limit and Tim had no idea how far he could push until Jason hit his. The tour had been interesting and Jason was pretty verbal about how much he enjoyed it and the first museum made his eyes light up a few times. Now on their forth museum, it was entirely possible Jason lost any real interest a long time ago.

Still, Jason let Tim wander around and even followed without so much as a grumble when Tim physically pulled him around. He followed silently behind Tim-like a six-foot shadow-and kept Tim from going crazy when it came time to go through the gift shop. So far, all he bought was a silly t-shirt and a bunch of postcards he planned to write on once they got back to their hotel room for the night. Jason brought up the idea of buying postcards for his family and friends in each city and sending them before they left, so the others could see where they’d been. Tim also got the feeling it was so the others could have a physical reminder of him, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind every time it tried to resurface.

“I know history is fascinating and all, but it’s not that earth-shattering.”

Tim shook his head to clear it, then grabbed Jason’s wrist to tug him to the nearest exhibit. “Sorry. I just spaced out for a second.”

“That’s kind of what I figured happened. Something on your mind or just trying to process all the information you’ve had crammed into your head today?”

“It’s nothing. Just thinking about things.”

“How vague and mysterious.”

“I didn’t-”

“I’m joking. You don’t have to tell me everything that goes on in that pretty head of yours.” When Tim snuck a glance at Jason, he couldn’t decipher the look on his face. “Shouldn’t you be looking at that stuff?”

“Sorry.”

“Will you quit apologizing to me? There’s nothing you need to apologize for.”

“Sorry.”

“Now you’re just doing it on purpose.”

“Sorry.”

Suddenly, Jason grabbed him around the waist and lifted him into the air with his hand covering Tim’s mouth to avoid people hearing the surprised shriek Tim let out. “Cut that shit out.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re such a-”

“Quiet. There are children here.” The sound of Jason gritting his teeth in frustration sent Tim into a giggle fit that he hid against Jason’s side. “I’m sorry. I’ll stop now. I promise.”

“I don’t even know if I can believe you.”

“What if I pinky promise?”

“Are you five?”

“Obviously not. So, pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

* * *

 

“I’ve always wanted to jump off a bridge.”

The sound of Jason choking on his Philly cheese steak sent Tim into a fit of laughter as the other man struggled to breathe again. “What the hell? Why would you want to do that?”

“I don’t know! I remember the first time my mom took me for a walk across the Gotham Suspension Bridge, I looked over the side and I just had this urge to jump. It wasn’t anything in particular, just this weird impulse.”

“So, I guess when people asked you whether you would jump off a bridge if your friends asked you to, you said you would do it?”

“No. I know what would happen if I did and I don’t want that, but I just get the feeling when I’m around bridges. It’s one of those things I get the desire to do, but know I’ll never actually do it. Does that make any sense?”

“Sure.” Now that Jason could breathe clearly again, his voice no longer had the raspy quality it had while he was struggling to get out the food stuck in his throat. “I think it’s part of being human. It kinda falls into that curiosity humans have with the world around them. They want to explore and experience and understand. It’s how we try to make sense of all the crazy shit going on around us.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way. I’ve never really thought about why at all, but I think you’re right. It’s curiosity about the feelings and sensation.”

“I have an idea.”

“What?”

“There’s probably bungee jumping somewhere at or near the Grand Canyon. Why not do that? It’s sort of like jumping off a bridge. It might even be jumping off a bridge.”

Tim hummed thoughtfully at the suggestion. “I didn’t think of that. I’ll have to look into it when we get back to the room. Are you going to do it with me?”

“Absolutely not. I’m not at all a fan of heights. I’ll go with you to support you and film it or whatever, but my feet are staying firmly planted on the ground.”

“But you’ll still go on the Skywalk with me, right?”

“Yes. No judging me if I pass out or throw up.”

“Promise.”

“And no taking pictures!”

“Now Jason, that’s just being unreasonable.”

* * *

 

“How much longer are we on here?”

“Around forty-five more minutes depending on traffic and whether there’s any construction or accidents.” Jason grunted in response and tapped his finger against the steering wheel. “Any reason you’re asking?”

“Just wondering.”

“Are you already bored? You know the drive from here to Orlando is about four times longer than this.”

“I’m not bored.”

“Really?”

“All right, I might be a little bored. We can fix that though. You could find something for us to listen to or we could talk.”

For a second, Tim considering putting on one of the audiobooks he downloaded onto an old iPod, but the idea of talking to Jason was too tempting to pass up. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know. I’m driving. You come up with something to talk about.”

“How about we start with what you want to do on this trip? You still haven’t told me anywhere you want to go or something you want to see.”

“It’s not my trip. I’m just following you.”

“But I don’t want this to be all about me. I know it is and I am the one that planned everything, but I just want to feel like we’re two people that decided to go on a road trip together. I want it to be about both of us having fun and seeing the world. If it’s all about me… I don’t want that. So, what do you want to do?”

“Something I want to do.” Jason clicked his tongue thoughtfully against the roof of his mouth and the tapping on the steering wheel picked up speed. “Remember that summer we went on vacation for a month right before I went into high school? We went to a few different places, but my favorite thing was when we went camping. Relaxing outside and sleeping under the stars. It’s nice.”

“There’s lots of places to camp. You can pick one. Anything in D.C. you want to do?”

“Does it matter? I’ve got a feeling you’ve got D.C. booked with more museums and monuments than what we went to in Philly.”

“You don’t have to come with me. I could go by myself and you can do something else. I don’t want you to be bored.”

“I was joking. I like going to museums and the National Mall has a lot of really interesting ones. I’ll even let you drag me around like those kids with the leashes.”

Before he could cover it, Tim snorted loudly as he laughed at the thought of Jason strapped into one of those. “That’s ridiculous. You wouldn’t even be able to buckle the straps.”

“Has anyone ever told you how adorable that it?”

“What?”

“The little snort you do when you laugh really hard. It’s cute.”

“Shut up! It’s not cute at all. People think it’s stupid sounding.”

“It’s not. It’s cute. Like a cute little-”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Tim quickly pulled out the iPod and plugged it into the car’s media system, so he could put on an audiobook. “No more talking. I think you’ll like this book.”

“I wasn’t teasing you. I was trying to compliment you. It’s a cute laugh.”

“Please, stop talking.”

“Fine. We’ll continue this conversation at a later date.”

* * *

 

With a smothered laugh, Tim stumbled into the World War II exhibit with Jason following closely behind him. He pressed himself closely against Jason’s side to keep from losing his balance, then caught the breath he lost from laughing so hard. The last thing Tim expected to happen while they were going through the National Museum of American History was Jason getting into a verbal fight with a random kid about history. The kid’s parent and Tim had sat back and watched the two of them go at it for a good fifteen minutes, before things started to get a little too ridiculous for them both to sit back any longer.

“It’s not that funny.”

Tim’s breath stuttered as he blew out a little to help calm himself back down. “It really was.”

“Wasn’t. That kid didn’t even know what he was talking about. I have more knowledge about women’s studies in one pinky than that kid does in his entire body. I’m in the middle of getting my doctorate in it! I’m pretty sure I’m the one that knows what he’s talking about.”

“Jason, I don’t think a ten-year-old cares how much you’ve studied. I bet he just wanted to be right and no amount of disproving or citing sources was going to change his mind. Plus, he seemed as stubborn as you.”

“I’m not that stubborn.”

“Didn’t you spend a whole night on the roof one time because Bruce told you it wasn’t possible?” The little huff Jason gave was all the confirmation Tim needed. “You’re definitely Bruce’s son. Can we go through the rest of this museum without any other fights? I do want to see at least one more before we call it a day.”

“I can’t make any promises, especially when I don’t see a Captain America exhibit in here. I’m pretty sure there’s supposed to be one.”

“Are you talking about that one scene in the movie?”

“What else would I be talking about?”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no Captain America exhibit in here. There is a Star Wars one. I think it has a lot of the props and costumes from the movies.”

“We’re definitely going to that.”

Tim scoffed loudly as he tugged Jason to the next part of the room by the sleeve of the hoodie he bought at the gift shop in the National Air and Space Museum. “Like that was ever in question. Did you know there’s a Star Wars convention in Orlando? It’s just Star Wars, nothing else.”

“I bet that would be fun.”

“Glad you think so. I bought tickets and I picked out what we’ll be wearing.”

“I know how to dress myself, Tim. I don’t need you to do it for me. I’m a big boy now.”

“No jeans and a t-shirt this time.”

“What am I wearing?”

“You’ll see.”

* * *

 

To Tim’s displeasure, Jason dropped onto the bed Tim was leaning against the headboard of while he wrote on the newest set of postcards. A dark line now marred the previously blank space where Dick’s little note was supposed to go. Things only got more frustrating when Jason took the pen and postcard from him, so he could rest his head on Tim’s lap. As Tim let out a frustrated sigh, he flicked the middle of Jason’s forehead with one hand and reached for a pillow with the other.

Before he could smother Jason, the older man knocked it out of his hand, then took both of them captive in his larger ones. “What are you doing?”

“I’m starving. Let’s get dinner.”

“We could get dinner sooner if you let me finish what I was doing. I only have two left.”

“Finish them later.”

“It is getting close to midnight.”

“Little shit.” Suddenly, Tim found him being rolled off the bed and pinned to the floor by Jason’s body. “Where are your jokes now?”

“Crushed under all your muscle.”

“My bad. Are you all right?”

“I’m not made of glass. I can take a tumble to the floor.”

“You look pretty breakable to me. So tiny and cute.”

With a fierce war cry, Tim flipped their positions and grinned in triumph at his victory. “You were saying?”

“What have I gotten myself into?”

“It’s a little late to be asking yourself that. We’ve gone too far to turn back now. One more day to Florida, then you can get a break for a few days.”

Jason hummed thoughtfully and brought his hand up to rest on Tim’s waist. He gave his hips a firm squeeze, then relaxed his hands and let his thumbs rub circles into the sensitive skin. A shiver ran through Tim’s body at the unfamiliar sensation and he fought the urge to let his head drop back in pleasure. To keep himself from losing his balance, Tim pressed his hands against Jason’s chest and let his arms hold himself up.

“We… We should go get food.”

“Yeah. We should.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

 

Awkward silence filled the car, causing Tim to squirm uncomfortably in his seat when he knew Jason wasn’t looking. A strange electricity had stayed between them all through dinner and before bed, but neither of them did anything about it. That led to a crappy night’s sleep and a morning full of uncertain glances and stilted conversation. Being trapped in a small car together didn’t make things any easier and turning on an audiobook hadn’t helped any.

For what felt like the millionth time, Tim glanced over at Jason to see if he could tell what the other man was thinking. His face was still frustratingly blank, but there was something a little different about the way he looked. While his face said nothing, his body language looked much more open and inviting than the last time Tim took a quick peek. The arm he had resting against the center console was palm up with his fingers spread and relaxed.

Tim found himself staring at the open palm and imaging his fingers filling the spaces between Jason’s fingers. It reminded him of the previous night when Jason captured Tim’s hands to keep them still. At the time, he hadn’t thought about how warm and right it felt to have Jason’s hands holding his, but now he couldn’t get it out of his head. With a thoughtlessness that would make Stephanie proud, Tim placed his hand against Jason’s so they rested palm to palm.

Instead of jumping in surprise, Jason curled his fingers up in a gentle hold that Tim copied. When he moved his eyes to Jason’s face again, he could see the hint of a smile tugging up the corners of his lips. In response to him looking, Jason squeezed his hand and pulled his eyes away from the road for a brief second to look at him. After he turned his attention back to the road, Tim leaned back in the passenger’s seat with his head turned to Jason.

“This is a bad idea.”

“No.”

“You’ll change your mind.”

“Never.”

* * *

 

“I thought of a place for us to go. It’ll only be a little out of the way.”

“Where were you thinking?”

Arms wrapped around Tim’s waist from behind and Jason rested his head on Tim’s shoulder. “Austin. There are bats. We can take a boat tour. Roy says it’s really cool. What are these?”

“What we’ll be wearing to the convention. I know Leia’s your favorite and she’s my favorite too, so I thought we’d both go as her. Just different versions.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see you in this.”

“That one’s for you.”

“You expect me to wear this?”

“What? Don’t think you have the body for it? It’s okay to be self-conscious. Everyone gets that way sometimes.”

“You’re a little shit.”

Tim quickly turned in Jason’s arms, causing them both to lose their balance and fall to the bed in a tangle of limbs. The thud of the box hitting the floor and most likely dumping out everything inside sent Tim into a fit of giggles. His body could barely move because of the weight of Jason’s body pressing him into the mattress and his lungs hurt from laughing, but he couldn’t stop. For some reason, he couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling out of his mouth and filling every inch of the room.

Even when Jason rolled off him, Tim continued to laugh uncontrollably and didn’t know if he could stop. Tears started to slide down his face and his chest tightened so painfully, he couldn’t fill his lungs with air. To his own ears, his laughter sounded forced and slightly hysterical, but he just couldn’t stop it from coming. It poured out of him in a steady stream, until he physically could not laugh any longer .

Gentle fingers wiped away the slowly drying tear tracks, then helped him sit up. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Words are dangerous. If they have meaning behind them, they’re dangerous.”

“You don’t have to talk about it now or I can leave the room and you can call Steph or whoever. I don’t want you to just bottle this up because you can’t talk to me.”

“I can talk to you, but I don’t want to. Can’t you understand that? Why I don’t want to.”

“Words are dangerous. They have power.”

“So dangerous.”

“Then we don’t talk about it.”

“Not yet. Someday, but not yet.”

“Okay.” Jason pulled Tim between his legs as he settled back against the headboard. “What do you want to talk about? The weather, last night’s game, what you had for breakfast?”

“We had the same thing, weirdo.”

“It was just a suggestion! There’s no need to call names!”

“Let’s talk about how great you’re going to look in that outfit tomorrow. It’ll really bring out the color of your eyes.”

“I’m pretty sure people aren’t going to be looking at my eyes.”

“I know. It’ll be great.”

“You’re evil.”

* * *

 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. It’s fucking freezing in here, not that you would know. Why couldn’t I be Hoth Leia? I would actually make it out of here with all my fingers and toes still attached to my body.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. All the other slave Leias look perfectly warm.”

“First of all, calling this version of her slave Leia robs her of her agency. I’d prefer it if you would refer to this look as Leia the Hutt Slayer. Secondly, that one has a jacket on.”

Tim rolled his eyes at Jason and took the bag off his back, so he could give Jason his leather jacket. “Happy, Leia the Hutt Slayer?”

“I will be when I stop feeling like a popsicle.”

“Drama queen. Can we go through the booths now? There’s a few that I heard about online I want to stop by.”

“I go where you go, princess.”

“That’s general to you.”

“My bad. I didn’t mean to offend, your highness.”

“You’re not being Han Solo. You’re being Leia.” The groan Tim got out of Jason had him fighting back a laugh as he pulled Jason toward the rows of booths. “Don’t be grumpy.”

“I’m not! But wouldn’t Endor Han have been more fitting? Couple cosplay or whatever.”

“We weren’t a couple or whatever before we left for the trip. Plus, you look great. If they have a best Leia award, I’m positive you’ll win.”

“Not with you standing next to me looking all cute with that helmet on.”

“Do you want me to take it off?”

A grumble spilled from Jason’s lips and he crossed his arms over his chest. “No. I like it on.”

“How sweet, but I might give it away. There’s an Ewok that’s been following us around for a while. He probably wants the helmet.”

“Screw the Ewok. You’re not giving away that helmet.”

“I don’t believe you’re the boss of me.”

“You are not-” Suddenly, Jason’s arms wrapped around Tim’s waist and his lips pressed against the side of Tim’s neck. “give away that helmet. Got it?”

“I read you loud and clear.”

* * *

 

The road looked wonky and endless to Tim’s eyes, but he was determined to stay awake until they reached New Orleans. Making Jason drive while he slept didn’t seem fair and he’d do everything in his power to make sure it didn’t happen. To give himself an anchor to stay awake, Tim stole the hand Jason had wrapped around the gear shift. He squeezed Jason’s hand lightly, earning a squeeze of his own in return and a soft smile.

“Get some rest, darling. We’ve got a lot of walking to do tomorrow.”

“I’ll sleep when we get to the hotel.”

“Darling, we’re still a minimum of two hours out. Shut those gorgeous blue eyes and get some sleep.”

Tim gripped Jason’s hand hard enough to cause him to jump, then stick his tongue out at him. “I wouldn’t leave you alone to drive. What happens if you start to fall asleep?”

“I’d pull over before I’d do that. Plus, I got up after you today. I’m fine for a few more hours.”

“Ten minutes after me. That’s not equal to a few hours. I’m staying up to keep you company. That’s final.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly stubborn?”

“All the time, but it doesn’t stop me.”

“I’m pretty sure nothing stops you.”

“Nothing yet.” A sharp inhale of breath pulled Tim’s attention to Jason’s face, but it was too dark to really see it. “What?”

“It’s nothing. Get some sleep. I’ve seen your plans for tomorrow. You could use all the sleep you can get.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll listen to an audiobook and wake you when we get there.”

“Fine, but only this one time.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you got stopped by the fun police.” For the millionth time, Tim snickered at the thought of it and nearly lost his balance in the process. “They called you a Grumpy Gus.”

“Keep laughing. We’ll see how long it takes you to walk to Texas.”

“It was hilarious! So funny. You wouldn’t make me walk.”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Despite the grumpy look on his face, Jason wrapped his arm around Tim’s waist after Tim leaned into him. They walked the rest of the street in silence, then began making their way back to the French Quarter to walk through it again. A growl of hunger erupted from Tim’s stomach and he glanced up at Jason to see if the other man had noticed. Going by the little smirk on his lips, he knew hunger was clawing at Tim and found it amusing.

“Meanie. Are you ready for lunch?”

“I’ve been thinking. We still haven’t had bananas foster yet. How about we do that for lunch?”

“You want to just eat dessert for lunch?”

A huge smile appeared on Jason’s face and he slowed them to a stop by wrapping both arms around Tim’s waist to keep Tim trapped against him. “We’re on vacation. We can do whatever we want.”

“Well, when you say it like that…”

“Timbers, they light it on fire! There are places that do it at your table.”

“I guess we could look for a place, but we’re going back to that little market later. I still need to buy those things I thought Steph, Cass, and Babs would like.”

“Deal. It’s this way.”

“Did you plan this?”

“Yes. I regret nothing.”

“I bet. You’re about to have dessert for lunch.”

“We’re about to have dessert for lunch.”

* * *

 

Tim leaned against the railing and looked down at the water getting kicked up around the bottom of the boat. The last light of the sun could be seen in the water, but not enough to light the depth below. He hummed thoughtfully at the beautiful sight and wished he could stretch his arms low enough to reach the waves. All he could do was dangle his hands over the railing and let water splash up to them.

A warm body pressed firmly against his back, then large hands engulfed his in a light hold. Tim flipped his hands over so he could absentmindedly play with Jason’s while they watched the water and city moving by. Lips pressed against the side of his cheek and teeth nipped playfully at his ear lobe. Tim threw his head back, but Jason moved his out of the way before Tim could hit him.

“I bought water, as requested.”

“Thank you. We’ll be at the bridge soon.”

“Can’t wait. Roy made it sound like it’s a spectacular sight. We’ll see if he’s right.”

With a hum, Tim leaned further back into Jason’s chest and let Jason take his weight. “I read a few articles about it. Everyone says it’s pretty amazing.”

“Well, that may be true, but it’ll never be the most amazing thing I’ll ever see.”

“Think that’ll be the Grand Canyon or something else we’re going to see?”

“No, I get to look at it every day.”

“Sunset.”

“No.” Jason let out an exaggerated sigh as he tightened his hold on Tim. “I was talking about you.”

“Your pickup lines could use some work.”

“Ungrateful brat.”

“Dorkasaurus.”

“That’s just rude.”

* * *

 

“Get your feet off there, heathen.”

Even though he rolled his eyes, Tim slid his feet off the dashboard, then sent Jason a withering look. “Happy?”

“As a clam. Remind me again why we’re going to Roswell.”

“For the aliens, Jay. Why else would we go?”

“Just wanted to make sure you still thought that was a legitimate reason to make a stop.”

“Asshole.” Tim punched Jason’s arm lightly enough Jason would feel it, but it wouldn’t hurt. “It is a legitimate reason. Who doesn’t want to see aliens?”

“Anyone that has seen the movie Alien?”

“I’ve seen all the Alien movies and I still want to see aliens.”

“You’re a strange one.”

“It’ll only be for a few hours, then we’ll do what you want to do.”

“I still don’t know why you want to see aliens. They’ll probably want to eat your face off.”

“They can try!”

For a brief second, Jason took his eyes off the road to send Tim an incredulous look. “Okay, Ripley Junior. I’ll be sure to stay behind you if the aliens ever decide to attack.”

“Excellent. Bait.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

* * *

 

The stars had never looked so bright and twinkling in the night sky. They looked almost fake and Tim kept resisting the urge to feel their warmth against his skin. Between the stars and the gentle sounds of the dark, Tim could understand why Jason was so fond of camping. It was peaceful in a way unlike any other and he didn’t want the night to end.

“What are you looking at?”

“Stars.”

To Tim’s annoyance, Jason moved him as he got down on the ground next to Tim. “Find any good constellations yet?”

“I don’t know any or how to find them. It’s never made any sense to me.”

“Then we make some up.”

“All right. Right there is a bird.”

“That’s Athena’s owl.”

“Really?” Tim turned his head to look at Jason with his eyebrows raised, then looked back up at the sky. “What’s the story? There’s always a story.”

“If I remember correctly, Athena’s owl was once a fierce female warrior. She battled many foes and attributed all her victories to the goddess watching over her. She was loved by many for her drive and bravery, but one of the women closest to her was jealous. One night, she stabbed the woman in her sleep. Afterwards, she bragged to the others and cursed Athena’s name. For her loyalty, Athena turned the fierce warrior into an owl and sent her to take revenge. From then on, she lived by Athena’s side and continued to be a fierce warrior.”

“I like that story.”

“Even though it was sad?”

“It wasn’t sad. In the end, she got rewarded for everything she’d done in life. She got to stay with the person she loved most for the rest of eternity. That isn’t sad. It’s a nice thought.”

“I suppose so. See anything else?”

“Give me a second.”

Tim did his best to find something resembling a pattern in the stars, but the more he looked at them the less he could see shapes. There were just so many of them doting the sky, it seemed impossible to link a few together to create a picture. Maybe if he took more interest in the stars when he was younger, he may have been able to pick out the different constellation or create his own. It didn’t help that he was too distracted by their beauty to look for shapes among them.

Luckily, something else shot across the sky and distracted both of them from stories found in the stars. One was followed by several more, until the entire sky seemed to be lit with streaks of light flying across the sky. On instinct, Tim traced one of the lights across the sky, then let it fall back down across Jason’s chest. When they all finally disappeared from view, the stars were visible once again and Tim couldn’t think about anything other than what he had just witnessed.

“So, what did you wish for?”

“Wish for?”

“You’re supposed to wish on shooting stars. That was a lot of shooting stars. What did you wish for?”

“Oh, I wished for Stephanie to get that internship she wants and Dick to get that promotion. I wished for Cass to go on that trip she’s been wanting to go on for a while. I wished for our car not to breakdown in the middle of nowhere and for you not to get too annoyed with me. I also wished that we have fun tomorrow when we bungee jump.”

“I’m still not bungee jumping with you. I’ll watch and take pictures, but I’m not doing it with you.”

“We’ll see in the morning. What did you wish for?”

“Tell you when you’re older.” The soft tone of Jason’s voice might have been concerning if it weren’t for the loving kiss Jason pressed to the top of his head.

* * *

 

Tim batted his eyelashes dramatically and tipped his head down, so he had to look up through his eyelashes to see Jason’s face. The older man rolled his eyes at him, then leaned forward to adjust the vest one of the employees had helped him put on. They had assured both of them-probably because of the slightly green shade of Jason’s face-that it was perfectly safe and Tim would walk away without a single scratch on him. Nothing they said was enough to calm Jason’s jittering nerves and he was taking it out on the straps of Tim’s vest. The vest now clung much tighter to him than it had before, but he didn’t have it in his heart to ask Jason to stop.

When a perky brunette called his name and motioned for him to follow her, Jason dropped his hands and looked nervously at the door she held open. With a light tug on one of Jason’s belt loops, Tim headed over to the door and smiled brightly at the woman on his way through. He could practically feel Jason’s eyes burning two holes into the back of his head, but he ignored him in favor of talking to the woman.

“You’ll have a lot of fun! It’s always scary the first time. I remember being so excited to do it, but when I finally got up there and looked down it was terrifying. I had to closing my eyes because I didn’t want to look. It ended up being so fun, I wanted to do it again right away.”

“I’ll do my best to keep my eyes open, so I get the whole experience.”

The woman laughed as she led them up a small flight of stairs and onto a wooden platform that jutted out into the canyon. “You’re a brave one! Have a great time!”

“Thank you.”

Another woman took the other’s place by his side and adjusted some of the straps Jason had pulled just a little too tight. Her eyes glanced over at Jason several times, bringing a small, knowing smile to her face every time she did so. When she finished checking the vest, she walked him over to a man holding the cord that would soon be the only thing that would keep him from hitting the ground. They quickly hooked him up to the cord and sent him encouraging smiles as he took a step closer to the edge of the platform.

A quick glance over the side was all he needed to feel the swoop in his stomach he normally got right before he went on a huge roller coaster. He could easily see the ground below, but everything looked so small and the sides of the canyon made it obvious just how far of a drop it was. Excitement coursed through him at the thought of finally taking that last step over the edge, so much so he could hardly pay attention to what the two were telling him. The instant they asked if he was ready, Tim nodded his head excitedly and prepared for his stomach to drop as the wind whipped past his face.

Before he took that last step, he turned to look at Jason and sent him the biggest smile he could manage without making his chapped lips crack. Conflict appeared on Jason’s face as he attempted to smile back, despite the obvious fear draining his face of any color. Suddenly, he lurched forward from the spot he’d been rooted to and got close enough Tim could reach out and touch him. His arm shot out jerkily, so his clammy fingers latched onto Tim’s thin wrist and give it a firm squeeze.

“Think we should take a picture? Steph would be so jealous.”

“I don’t know if I can…” Jason’s eyes stayed firmly on Tim’s face, purposefully avoiding the edge Tim stood so close to. “I could take one of you.”

“Can’t we do one together? I can come to you. You don’t have to get any closer.”

“I guess that wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Great!”

Tim grabbed his phone out of Jason’s pocket, pulled up the camera, then handed it to the woman already holding her hand out to take it. He moved to stand next to Jason with his arm wrapped around his waist and gave a thumbs up to the camera. A heavy arm settled across his shoulders and pulled his closer against Jason’s firm body. It would probably be obvious to anyone that saw the photograph Jason was extremely uncomfortable, but neither of them cared because it would capture a moment. A memory.

* * *

 

“Do you have to keep the window rolled down? It kind of defeats the purpose of turning on the A/C and it’s hot as hell outside.”

If Jason’s eyes hadn’t been directed at the road, Tim would have stuck his tongue out at him. “I like the way it feels. You didn’t have to roll your window down, too. And it’s not that hot. You’re just a gigantic baby when it comes to the heat!”

“Says the one that hides out as soon as winter starts to roll around. Just throw on a couple layers and you’ll be fine.”

“I’d rather take clothes off, than put them on.”

“I’m trying to drive.”

“So? I haven’t done anything to keep you from doing that.”

“You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Jay,” Even though Jason was refusing to look at him, Tim sent him a look full of innocence and confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I thought we were just talking about what weather we prefer and why. Did I say something wrong?”

“Don’t play the innocent act with me. You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“I really have no idea. Maybe we should roll up the windows. I think the heat is starting to get to you.”

“You’re a nuisance.”

“I’m an absolute delight. Want me to put another audiobook on? It might be a good distraction for whatever has you all ruffled.”

Jason huffed out a gruff laugh as he ran a hand through his already wild hair. “Put on whatever you want and stop trying to distract me. We’ve still got a few more hours before we get to the hotel and I want to make it there in one piece.”

“Fine, but I still don’t know what I did.”

“Liar.”

* * *

 

The cool water tickled just above the top of his knees, occasionally splashing up against his thighs and swim trunks. It was memorizing to watch the ebb and flow of the water around him and feel it against his skin. The few times he’d been to the beach in Gotham, it’d been nothing like what he was seeing now. Here the water was a gorgeous blue and moved peacefully around him, completely different from the grey, choppy ocean around Gotham.

He dipped his hand just below the surface, then pulled it back out and ran his hand through his warmed hair. While the water was cool and just the right temperature, the sun was now high in the sky and beating fiercely down on him. He could practically feel the sunblock he had applied less than an hour ago melting off of his skin. By the end of the day, he would undoubtedly be sunburned and slathering on the aloe vera as much as possible. It didn’t matter how much sunblock he used, he always ended up at least a little burnt.

Suddenly, the water behind him kicked up enough to hit his lower back, soaking the rash guard enough to make it stick to his back. He grumbled angrily under breath, then kicked his leg backwards in the hopes of catching Jason before he could move out of the way. To his annoyance, Jason got out of the way in time, then wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist from behind. Tim dropped his head back against Jason’s chest to make it easier to look at Jason’s face, even if it wasn’t the most flattering of views.

“I thought you were reading.”

“What? I can’t come out in the water with you?”

“I didn’t think you wanted to. As soon as we got here, you just plopped down and started reading.”

A little poke to Tim’s side had him yelping in indignation and knocking his elbow firmly into whatever part of Jason he could reach. “Excuse me for wanting to relax a little after all that driving.”

“Most people want to get up and walk around, not sit down and read a book.”

“Well, I’m obviously not most people. It’s part of my charm.”

“What charm?”

The arms around him constricted enough for Jason to lift him off his feet, so his toes were barely brushing the surface of the water. On instinct, Tim’s hands scrambled to grab hold of any part of Jason that he could reach with the awkward angle his arms had to twist to get behind him. He kicked his legs out wildly in an attempt to wiggle out of Jason’s hold and dug his nails in as an extra incentive. Unfortunately, Jason refused to even loosen his arms the slightest bit and only responded by lifting him up even higher.

“If you do this, I’m going to make your life hell.”

“You’re the one that wanted to get in the water so bad. I’m just doing my part to help you out.”

“I hate you so much right now!”

In retaliation, Jason bounced him up like he was going to throw him and laughed evilly right in his ear once he came back down. “Want to say that again?”

“Put me down, asshole!”

“Give me a second to think about that. Actually, I don’t even need a second. No.”

“You’re the absolute worst. I hope you get a sunburn so bad your skin cracks and peels!”

“Wow. That really hurts, Timbo.”

“Good!” Tim struggled a little harder to get out of Jason’s grip, then let out an aggravated huff when he got nothing for his troubles. “I hope the tide suddenly hits and destroys your book and your phone.”

“Now, Timmers, that’s just not nice at all. I thought we had something special, but we obviously don’t. I wouldn’t even wish that fate upon my worst enemy.”

“Biggest asshole in the galaxy.”

“Have a nice swim!”

Despite the warning, Tim let out a shriek of surprise when Jason tossed him hard enough to send him flying through the air. His limbs flailed uselessly the entire time and didn’t stop after he hit the water hard enough to force the air out of his lungs. When he finally got enough control over his body to figure out where the surface was, he propelled himself to the surface and gasped for air upon coming out. He wiped furiously at his burning eyes to get rid of the stinging, then turned to glare at a smirking Jason.

“You’re dead.”

“You’d have to catch me first.”

“Better get a head start. You’re going to need it.”

* * *

 

The world around him looked blurry and misshapen as he blinked his eyes groggily opened to figure out why his body was shaking. Several blinks later, he could see well enough to make out Jason’s face in the dim light provided by something behind him. A soft smile adorned his tanned face, one that Tim felt compelled to return (at least he hoped he sent one in return). Jason ran a hand through Tim’s hair, then leaned forward to press a feather light kiss to his forehead.

“Where are we?”

“Portland. It’s only eight. Do you want to check-in, then find somewhere to eat or just head up to the room?”

After rubbing the sleep out of the corner of his eyes, Tim fumbled to get his seatbelt off and got out of the car with Jason’s help. “We can go out. There was that place we found last night.”

“Sounds good to me. Let me grab the bags real quick.”

“I can go check us in, while you do that.”

“Nice try, but you can barely stand on your own feet. I’m not letting you walk to the front desk by yourself. Plus, the air might help wake you up a bit more.”

“Why did you let me fall asleep?”

“Since when do I let you do anything?” The trunk slammed shut, causing Tim to jump and nearly lose his balance. “Someone’s a little twitchy.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to shut it so hard.”

“Whatever you say. Need me to keep you upright?”

“I’ve been walking almost my entire life. I think I can handle it.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Instead of giving Jason a playful punch like he normally would, Tim bumped into his side hard enough to send them both tumbling to the ground. As expected, the other man already knew exactly what Tim had on his mind and kept them from falling. The bag smashed between them rubbed uncomfortably against Tim’s thigh as they walked, but he was too content to lean against Jason’s body to move away. He dropped his head against Jason’s shoulder as they made their way through the parking lot.

“Sure you want to go out to eat? We could order room service.”

“I’m positive.”

* * *

 

“This is heaven.”

The pure joy on Jason’s face was enough to make Tim smile widely and feel a little pleased of himself for putting this stop on their list. “Are we ever going to go in or are you just going to stand here? The books are on the inside.”

“Give me a moment. I’m not entirely sure this is real.”

“Do you want me to pinch you?”

“Nope. Stop being impatient.”

“Offering to help is being impatient?”

“Always straight to the innocent act.”

“Why do you assume so poorly of me? I’ve been told I’m a delightful person!” While Jason was distracted with his words, Tim laced their fingers together, so he could force Jason into the store. “I even planned this stop all for you!”

“I know. Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. Really this is more of a thank you for agreeing to come with me. I know it’s probably been exhausting to drive all the time, then do all the things I want to do. We’ve barely done anything you wanted. This is my thank you for all of that. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”

A softness showed in Jason’s eyes as he looked down at Tim with something that was almost like awe. “We already did what I wanted, but I’m really glad you found this place. Although, you might not be able to get me to leave.”

“They do close and I don’t think any amount of begging will get them to agree to you staying the night.”

“Why do you have to ruin the dream?”

“Someone has to be realistic here. Enjoy it while you can.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Apparently, I do. You wouldn’t even come inside!”

“I needed a moment!” For a brief second, Jason paused to look at the sign detailing what kinds of books were available on each floor. “Are you sure you’re not going to get bored? It might take me a while to get through this whole place. I can drop you offer somewhere else and pick you up when you want.”

“Jason, I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want to spend the afternoon looking through this gigantic bookstore with you. Lead the way.”

* * *

 

Trees were nothing more than blurs passing by him as he sped through the forest as fast as the ATV could go. Whenever he hit a bump, the ATV would lurch and thrill would roll through him at the thought of the ATV leaving the ground. The only thing that kept him from really trying to get a little air was the thought of how terrified it would make Jason. With how much Jason put up with the last couple of months, the last thing Tim wanted to do was give him a heart attack for doing something reckless.

As he drove into a sizable clearing, he took the opportunity to look behind him for a glimpse of Jason. The other man had been behind him the entire time because he refused to speed through the forest the way Tim did.  His cautious nature made it so Tim had to slow down on occasion to keep from getting too far apart. Upon seeing just how far back Jason had gotten, Tim slowed to a halt in the middle of the clearing and removed his helmet as he waited for Jason.

Letting out a huff of irritation, Tim shoved his sweaty bangs out of his face and wished he had the foresight to bring a hair tie. For some reason, he hadn’t expected the helmets to get so hot, but that should have been an obvious given now that he thought about it. While he was stopped, he took the opportunity to shift around his legs and give his bottom a break from the slightly uncomfortable seat. He slowly eased out the ache in his fingers from holding the handlebars and popped the crick in his back from bending forward for so long.

The last of his little pains from riding the ATV were finally dissipating, when Jason came to a halt next to him. Jason removed his helmet immediately, then set it on the back of his seat so he could run a hand through his messy hair. His hair now stuck up in all directions and Tim couldn’t resist the urge to laugh at how ridiculous it looked. With the white streak in his hair, he looked like some sort of bird ruffling its feathers to attract a mate.

“What are you laughing at?”

Tim bit his lips to swallow back the laugh, then plastered an innocent smile on his face. “Nothing at all. Want to take a little break before we keep going?”

“Sure. My ass is killing me. How much long until we get to the Spheres?”

“Not sure. I haven’t really been keeping track. Want me to pull it up on the GPS?”

“Might as well. I’d like to make sure we have some idea of where we’re going.”

“Fair point.” After a little struggle with the zipper on the back-storage compartment, Tim pulled out the GPS and started putting in what the employees at the rental place had told him to. “Do you want to call it a day when we get there?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure how much more my precious behind can take.”

“What in the world makes it precious?”

“I’m not sure you could handle the answer to that question.”

“Oh, it’s just your massive ego coming out to play.”

A large hand shoved at Tim’s arm playfully, then settled on his lower back. “How far are we?”

“A few miles out. Shouldn’t take long to get there if we don’t take any unnecessary detours.”

“You mean get lost?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, but yes. We shouldn’t have any trouble though. They said there were plenty of signs once we got in a one-mile radius and we’ll probably see people hiking not too far from it that we can ask for help if we need it.”

“Well then, how about we get the rest of this ride over with?”

“I’m ready when you are. I wouldn’t want to cause more pain to your posterior.”

“Laugh it up. See if I have any sympathy for you tomorrow!”

“Just get on your bike and ride.” Tim shoved on his helmet to the sound of Jason groaning loudly and shaking his head in disbelief.

“I can’t believe you just said that.”

“All hail the Queen!”

“Dorkatron.”

* * *

 

Watching Jason move around the small space of the Sphere proved to be much more entertaining than Tim ever expected it to be. While the other man fit in the space, it was obvious Jason was having trouble getting used to being in such a tight room. He kept bumping into the counters and furniture and jerked in surprise whenever the top of the Sphere brushed against his head. There had been some grumbling from the tall man, but he hadn’t complained aloud at all about the lack of space.

With a cheer of triumph, Jason dished out the pasta he made into two bowls and brought them over to the bed Tim had been curled up in since they arrived. After Tim accepted his bowl, Jason dropped onto the mattress next to him with their thighs and shoulders pressed against each other. Upon taking his first bite, Tim let out a pleased hum and resisted the urge to quickly shovel more in as soon as he finished chewing.

“This is delicious. I’m glad we stopped by the market before we headed out here. This pasta is amazing. You did an incredible job.”

“It’s hard to screw up pasta.”

Once he had another bite safely in his mouth, Tim nudged Jason with his shoulder, almost causing him to drop the food spun on his fork. “Just take the compliment. The food is delicious. Thank you for cooking.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to let you cook. I don’t want to get food poisoning.”

“I can make pasta.”

“I’m sure you can.”

“Asshole.”

Instead of arguing, Jason shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to the food halfway to his mouth. They ate the rest of their dinner in comfortable silence, then Jason grabbed both their bowls before Tim could protest and quickly watched them in the sink. When he returned to the bed, Tim tugged him down so Jason had to catch himself on his elbows to keep from landing right on top of him. A laugh bubbled out of Tim’s throat as he stretched up to plant a kiss against Jason’s willing lips, then he relaxed back into the mattress.

Unsurprisingly, Jason followed him down to the mattress by tipping his lower body to one side to keep as much of his weight off Tim as possible. He began peppering kisses all over Tim’s face and neck, while his hands stroked slowly up and down his sides. When Jason’s fingers tickled along the sensitive skin around his ribs, Tim couldn’t help the laughter that slipped out of his lips. Jason chuckled against his neck in reply, then moved his head up to kiss Tim’s lips tenderly. After letting out a pleased hum against Jason’s lips, Tim brought his hands up to gently cradle Jason’s face and tipped his head to the side a little more to deepen the kiss.

As they continued to exchange long, drawn-out kisses, Tim felt his chest tightening from lack of air and his heart stuttering for some reason. In a small moment between kisses, Tim sucked in a harsh breath and nearly gasped when it caused his lungs to throb and his throat to tighten. If his lips weren’t on autopilot, he wouldn’t have returned the next few kisses Jason pressed against his lips. He tried to ignore the weird sensation building in his chest and focus on the feeling of Jason surrounding him, but something tugging incessantly at him wouldn’t let him. No amount of ignoring it was making whatever it was go away.

“Tim? Hey, Timmers. Look at me. Come on back.” Careful fingers brushed along his cheek, causing Tim to start when something wet smeared across his skin. “Hey there. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I… I don’t know.”

“Tim, you’re crying.”

“I’m not. I’m not. There’s no… no reason I would. I-”

An unexpected sob ripped through Tim’s throat and made it, suddenly, painfully obvious that Jason was completely right. He could now feel the tears falling from his eyes, sliding down the side of his face, and most likely dripping onto the pillow beneath his head. The ache in his chest from attempting to hold it all in, now throbbed for a different reason entirely. He could hardly breath because of how hard his body was shaking from the violent sobs forcing their way out of his body. It felt like he had completely lost control over himself and didn’t have any choice, other than to ride it out.

Slowly, the sobs stopped rolling through him and he had enough control over his own body to breath freely again. As the pain in his chest dissipated, his eyes locked onto Jason’s concerned face hovering just above his own. The hold he had on Jason’s face relaxed to a much less bruising grip and he tried to get his swirling thoughts together. Once his body calmed completely, the exhaustion swept in and settled deep in bones, like it’d been attempting to for a while.

“I’m going to die.”

Jason’s face twisted into an expression Tim couldn’t read, but he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to. “I know, sweetheart.”

“It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all. There’s so much I haven’t done, so much I haven’t seen, so much I haven’t experienced. It’s not fair I won’t be able to do any of it. I’m going to die before I graduate college or have a job I want to make a career out of or get married or do any of those things that are supposed to mark the different parts of your life. I’ve barely gotten the chance to be an adult and now… Now, I won’t get the chance.”

“It’s not fair. Life dealt you a really shitty hand and it’s not at all fair and I know there’s nothing I can say to make it better.”

“You have. You’ve made things so much better. I-I’ve been in love with you for the longest time. You were always so nice to me and put up with me when I was just the annoying kid that followed you around asking questions. You’re so smart and funny and kind, but I was always too scared to say anything because you’re you and I’m me and I shouldn’t have said anything. This relationship isn’t fair to you because I’m going to die and you’ll just be left behind.”

“I think that’s my decision to make.” Large hands gently tipped Tim’s chin up and held his head where he would be looking Jason right in the eyes. “I would rather have what time I can get with you, then spend the rest of my life wishing I had been brave enough to take a chance. This isn’t a one-sided thing, Tim. You’re not the only one that was too scared to do anything before all this shit. I regret not telling you how I felt sooner. We could have had so much time, but we can’t go back and change that. So, I’ll gladly take all the time I can get with you.”

“I don’t want you to regret this and I really think-”

“That’s not going to happen. Remember your eighteenth birthday? I told myself I would finally ask you out because there was no reason not to and I chickened out. Every time I saw you after that, I thought about doing it and never could. I have loved you for so long and I’ll still love you when you’re gone. I love the way you snort when you laugh really hard and how bright your eyes get when you’re excited. I love the way your smile can light up a room and how fearless you are. There are a million reason I love you and I’m never going to stop. I have never loved anyone the way I love you. Nothing is going to change that.”

“I don’t want to die.”

“What do you want?”

Tim let out a shaky breath and tried not to cry as he let his imagination run wild. “I want to finish my degree, then start my own business. Not anything big, but something that means a lot to me. Once things are stable, we’d get married and maybe start a family at some point. Adopt few kids. When we’re ready to retire, we’d find a house on a lake somewhere. Somewhere peaceful and quiet. Somewhere I could watch the sunrise every morning.”

“That sounds nice. Nothing too big since it’ll just be the two of us and a porch or somewhere we can hang a swing, that way we have somewhere to sit while we watch the sunrise.”

“Can we do that tomorrow? Watch the sunrise, I mean.”

“Of course, I’d love to watch the sunrise with you. I’d watch a million sunrises with you if I could.”

* * *

 

For the fifth time in the past hour, Tim tried to hold back a yawn that forced its way out of him regardless of his best efforts. He shifted in his seat in an attempt to wake up a little, but the combination of staying up too late and waking up early were taking its toll on him. Despite the fact it was only two in the afternoon, he could hardly keep his eyes open long enough to read the signs passing by. While he could dig an iced coffee out of the cooler in the backseat, he couldn’t find it in himself to actually move his muscles.

With a heavy sigh, Tim turned his head to the side so he could see how Jason was holding up and was pleased to see he looked wide awake. His eyes were focused intently on the road, while he fingers tapped along on the steering wheel to the music playing softly from the speakers. Occasionally, he would sing or hum part of the song under his breath barely loud enough for Tim to hear him. On a whim, Tim sang along during one of the songs, causing a small smile to appear on Jason’s face as he sang a little louder.

When the song ended, Tim let out a little laugh and reached a hand out to rest against the easiest thing he could reach, which just so happened to be Jason’s thigh. The muscles twitched under his fingers and Jason let out a surprised sound that sent a new wave of laughter out of Tim. Jason looked at him out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t say anything about wanting Tim to move his hand. After giving Jason’s thigh a light squeeze, Tim let his eyes fall shut and the sound of Jason singing lulled him to sleep.

* * *

 

“Feeling okay?”

If it weren’t for the sound of Jason’s boots crunching on the rocks, Tim might have jumped in surprise at the other man’s voice. It didn’t feel like it had been long enough for Jason to get through the long line for donuts, but it hadn’t felt like the train ride was long enough either. Time was beginning to disappear on him and he knew exactly what that meant. The doctor had warned him about the fatigue that would start to set in once the cancer got close to shutting down his body and told him he’d have a few weeks at most after that.

“Fine.”

Jason’s eyebrow twitched up for a second, almost like he was going to call bullshit, but it immediately relaxed and he took a seat on the ground next to Tim. “Here you go. One donut for you and one for me.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been pretty spacey today. Should I call you space cadet?”

“I’m just a little tired. It’s no big deal.”

“All right.” They ate in silence for several minutes, then Jason shifted to wrap his arm around Tim’s waist and rested his chin against Tim’s shoulder. “Hey, dollface. You know what we should do?”

“Figure out a new nickname that doesn’t make you sound like you’re a hundred years old?”

“What’s wrong with dollface? It’s classic.”

“According to who?”

“Everyone! It’s a classic and classy nickname. Everyone knows that.”

“If you say so. What is it you think we should do?”

Jason huffed against the side of his neck and was probably pouting about how dismissive Tim was to him. “We should go dancing.”

“You know how to dance?”

“Yes, I know how to dance and not just that formal crap we had to learn for the galas. Cass likes to dance and I go as her partner to swing clubs sometimes. It’s fun. I think you’d like it.”

“Maybe we can find somewhere to do that.”

“I’ll look into it when we get back to the hotel.”

“Okay.”

Tim gave Jason’s head a little bump with his own, then went back to eating his donut while he enjoyed the view. From this spot, he could see for miles all around and it felt like being on top of the world with how high up they were. It wasn’t like anything he had ever experienced before and he couldn’t help loving the fact it was Jason experiencing it with him. Now that his donut was gone, Tim settled back into Jason’s chest, letting out a grateful hum when Jason easily took his body weight and laced their hands together in Tim’s lap.

* * *

 

Confusion ran through Tim as Jason continued along the street, instead of making a U-turn at the intersection to return to their hotel. At first, he thought Jason might be making a quick stop at the convenience store just past the light to fill up and grab a few things for the room, but he blew past it with no sign of stopping. Tim’s confusion wasn’t helped by the fact Jason was humming something happily under his breath and nodding his head along with some song playing in his head. He was so focused on taking them wherever he had planned, he didn’t notice the confused sound that accidently slipped from Tim’s lips.

Not wanting to be in the dark any longer, Tim cleared his throat loudly and did it again when Jason didn’t appear to hear him. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“What could you possibly have planned? You haven’t had time to plan anything.”

“Sorry to say, but you’re wrong about that. I woke up early this morning, so I’d have plenty of time to find this place.”

“Plenty of time? Is that why we were nearly late for the tour?”

“That had nothing to do with my planning skills and everything to do with the fact I turned your phone alarm off, then forget to turn it back on when I finished.”

“So close.” Tim let out a loud laugh at the sound of Jason groaning loudly as he pretended to bang his head against the window. “It’s very sweet, even if I have no idea where we’re going. Where are we going?”

“I’m still not telling you! I’ve managed to keep a secret from you for an entire day. I’m not about to ruin that now!”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

A scoff filled the car and Jason sent him a look after coming to a stop at a red light. “Tim, you have to know. It’s a running joke that it’s impossible to slip anything by you. You always figure things out before people want you to. Hiding a present is useless because you always figure it out and surprise parties are absolutely out of the question.”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do. It’s actually kind of scary.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I guess you can brag about this to the others.”

“Oh, I’m going to. None of them are going to believe me. It’s going to be great.”

* * *

 

“What are we doing here?” The Parthenon towered over him, intimidatingly so in the darkness, and did nothing to clear up the riddle of what Jason had planned. “Did you not get a good enough picture earlier? Want me to pose like one of your French girls?”

“First of all, I don’t have any French girls. What I do have is a snarky boyfriend that won’t let me do nice things for him without giving me a lot of sass for my troubles.”

“You act like you don’t like it.”

Jason ignored his comment in favor of speaking louder, so Tim couldn’t interrupt or talk over him. “Secondly, we have come here for a very important reason and it’s not to take pictures! We’re going to dance the night away, like the crazy, young people we are.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you hear it?”

“Hear what?”

“The music! In the summer, bands play all kinds of music-including swing-at the band shelter here and people dance to it. That’s what we’re here for. We’re going to dance, until we can’t dance no more.”

“You’re taking me dancing.”

“I told you we should do it and we are.” When Tim didn’t move to follow him, Jason dropped to one knee with both hands holding Tim’s. “Come on, dollface. You’ve gotta at least give me a chance to sweep you off your feet.”

“What is that accent supposed to be?”

“I don’t know, but I have to get you to move somehow and I’ve only got so many tricks up my sleeve.”

“You’re utterly ridiculous.”

“Will it get you to come with me?”

“I was going to come with you either way, but…” Tim bit his lip nervously and returned the little squeeze Jason gave his hands. “No one has ever asked me to dance before. I’ll have no idea what I’m doing. I’m going to look like an absolute moron.”

“No one is going to care. Things like this aren’t about how amazing you can dance. They’re about having fun and enjoying the music. I’m sure you won’t be the only one who won’t know what they’re doing and even if you aren’t, everyone has to start somewhere. I had no idea what I was doing the first time I went dancing with Cass, but I learned and I had fun. I’ll be with you the whole time, just follow my lead.”

“You promise.”

“Tim, dollface, I’ve wait my whole life to dance with you. I’m not going to want to stop.”

“As long as you’re with me.”

In a flash, Jason was back to full height and looking down at Tim with the softest smile on his face. “Unless you tell me to go, I’m going to be right by your side.”

“Then I can do this. I can do it with you there. I can do anything with you by my side.”

* * *

 

Tim leaned further into Jason’s side as the tour bus rounded another corner while the guide continued to talk about the city. He could hardly keep his eyes open long enough to see the different things they were pointing out, but the last thing he wanted to do was say something to Jason. The other man would offer to go back to the hotel room so Tim could have a nap, which would mean him sitting around in boredom. Plus, he didn’t want to spend the last stop on their road trip sleeping the entire time and missing out on the city.

The arm resting across the back of his seat dropped down to wrap around his waist and shifted him so his head rested against Jason’s shoulder. Fingers played idly with the hem of his shirt and occasionally tugged down on the thin material. Tim tilted his head enough to look up at Jason’s face and saw a tiny grin playing along his lips as he watched the city go by. He didn’t think Jason noticed his eyes on him, until lips were covering his own for a soft peck that didn’t last nearly long enough.

“Want to get off at the next stop and see if we can find anything interesting to do?”

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

“This is your trip, Tim. It’s what you want to do.”

Even though Jason couldn’t see him, Tim rolled his eyes as he looked at the huge building on their left the guide was saying something about. “We’ve talked about this. You’re allowed to make decisions every once and a while. If you want to get off at the next stop, then we’ll get off.”

“Guess we’re getting off.”

When the bus came to a stop, Jason stood up from his seat and held out a hand for Tim to use to support himself as he stood. Instead of leading the way down the stairs, Jason motioned for Tim to go first, then placed one hand on his hip on the way down. His hand remained on Tim’s waist as they made their way down the street, but Tim knew exactly why Jason had put his hand there. Rather than saying something to let Jason know he appreciated it, he placed his hand over Jason’s and made little circles with his thumb over his skin.

“Any particular reason we got off here?”

“I told you. We got off to just take a look around. There’s no specific reason.”

Tim nudged Jason’s side with his hip as he attempted to fight back a yawn. “You’ve tricked me into doing something already. I wouldn’t put it past you to try to do it again. I know you want more bragging rights.”

“That may be true, but there really is no reason we got off here. Although, I may be a little hungry.”

“So, there was an ulterior motive. I knew it.”

“And you’re not hungry?”

“I might be a little.” While he wasn’t the least bit hungry, he knew telling Jason that would cause concern, especially after having nothing more than coffee for breakfast. “Looking for anything specific?”

“Something that tastes good.”

“Oh, well that makes things much easier! Let me just put that in my phone and see if I can find anything near us!”

“There’s that sass I love. I don’t know how I made it so far into the day without hearing it.”

“I’ll make sure to be quicker on the draw tomorrow.”

* * *

 

They were nearly back to Gotham when his gut twisted uncomfortably, then he felt an intense wave of nausea roll through him. His hand searched desperately for the closest part of Jason he could reach and dug his nails into Jason to get his attention. Even though Jason was most likely speaking to him, all Tim could focus on was holding back the bile attempting to force its way out. A pressure was slowly building in his head and the world seemed to be spinning around him, like it fell off its axis and couldn’t stop.

Right before he couldn’t hold it in any longer, a pair of strong arms pulled him out of the car and helped him onto his knees. His throat burned as the vomit forced its way violently out of his body and sent shivers down his spine. A large hand rubbed his back slowly and carefully, while another kept him from slumping forward into his own vomit. Finally, his stomach stopped rebelling against him and he got enough control over his own body to fall back against Jason’s chest.

The hand on his back moved to his forehead and began to gently run through his sweaty hair in long strokes. He dropped his head back to tuck under Jason’s chin, then sucked in as much air as his straining lungs could handle. A little whine left his throat as the burning caused pain to spark across his chest and spread to the tips of his fingers and toes. There was no longer pressure causing his head to throb, but a light-headedness that made him feel like he could drift away at any moment.

“Jay, we need to… Gotham.”

“I know, dollface. Think you can handle me moving you?” Tim slowly nodded his head to avoid causing another bout of nausea to hit him. “I’m going to move you now. I’ll go nice and slow.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me know if I need to stop.”

“Okay.”

The entire world shifted around him as Jason slowly lifted him into a bridal carry and helped him back into the passenger’s seat. Jason buckled his seatbelt for him, then pressed a kiss to his forehead before closing the door and returning to his spot behind the wheel. He pulled back onto the highway at a much lower speed than he’d been going before the emergency stop he made. Letting out a little groan, Tim reached out to wrap his hand around the one Jason had resting on the stick shift.

“Go faster.”

For a brief second, Jason took his eyes off the road to give Tim a look of uncertainty. “Are you sure? I don’t want to make you throw up again.”

“I’ll be fine. We need to get back.”

“We’re going straight to the hospital.”

“Have to tell the others.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it once we get there.”

“Okay.”

* * *

 

With much more difficulty than he expected, Tim turned onto his side and curled his knees up to his chest. Most of his body felt completely numb because of all the drugs the doctors now had pumping through his system and his mind was cloudy. He could barely make out Jason’s large form crammed in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs by his bedside. After several misses, Tim managed to hit Jason’s arm hard enough to wake him up from the sleep he had fallen into.

“Hey. You’re awake.”

“A little. Where is everyone?”

“Work or sleeping or eating. How are you feeling?”

Tim blinked at him for several seconds, while his brain processed the words that had flowed so easily from Jason’s mouth. “Tired. I’m going to go to sleep soon. Glad you’re here.”

“This is the only place I want to be, Timbers.”

“I love you, too. Haven’t said that enough. Should have written it down. Something to remind you when I’m gone. Love you so much.”

“How about I promise not to forget? Does that work?”

“Yeah. I’m really happy we took that trip. It was fun. Just what I wanted.”

“Me too.” A quick kiss was lovingly placed on his cheekbone, then Jason remained with his face hovering just above his. “I’m glad you let me come with you. I would have missed so much if we didn’t do it. There would have been so much regret.”

“Wherever I go, I’m going to miss you.”

“Gonna wait around for me to get there?”

“What else would I do?”

A watery laugh spilled from Jason’s lips as he cupped Tim’s face, then pressed a kiss to his lips. “I have no idea.”

“Guess I’ll just wait around then.”

“I wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

“I won’t.”

Jason smiled softly at him at the same time he fought back tears threatening to fall down his face, but no amount of fighting kept them back. They dripped slowly down his face and would have dropped to the mattress if Tim hadn’t reached up to wipe them away. His hand dropped heavily back to the mattress when he couldn’t hold it up any longer and he smiled weakly up at Jason. After taking a steadying breath, Jason leaned forward to rest their foreheads against each other.

“Remember the meteor shower? I never told you what I wished for.”

For some reason, Tim could bring himself to answer Jason in a voice any louder than a whisper. “What did you wish for?”

“I wished we could have more time together. Technically, I suppose I got my wish, but I was thinking more a few years than months. Guess it was too much to ask for.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get what you wanted.”

“It’s not your fault. I just wanted to tell you. Don’t want to miss any more chance.”

“No regrets.”

“None at all.”

“Good.” Pure exhaustion hit him hard out of nowhere and his eyes closed involuntarily. “Sleep time. Love you.”

“Love you so fucking much, Timbo. I absolutely adore and love you. Sleep well.”

* * *

 

The elderly man let the car door click shut behind him, then made his way along the short path that would take him to the grave he came to visit. His slight limp caused the trip to take a little longer than it had when he was younger, but he never skipped his weekly trip. When he reached the grave he was looking for, he took a moment to let his aching knee settle back down, so he could take a seat on the ground like he typically would. While he rubbed out the kinks, Tim took up his normal spot on top of his headstone and waited for Jason to start.

“I’m not sure you’d like these, but they didn’t have what I normally buy and these looked nice.” He placed the orange flowers in front of the headstone, then leaned back onto his hands.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

“I hope your week was good. Mine wasn’t anything interesting, but I can’t complain. I don’t have any stories for you this week. Sorry if this visit is boring. I haven’t been feeling up to much recently. I think I’ll be joining you really soon.”

“It’ll be nice to see you again. I’m kind of hoping you’ll keep the grey hair. It’s a good look on you. Very silver fox.”

“I could hardly get out of bed this morning. Everything hurts, not that I can’t handle it, but I’d rather be other places. I already have plans and everything. You’d be proud of me. I know how much you love planning.”

“It’s not fair to make fun of me when I’m not there.”

A little smile appeared on Jason’s face, almost like he heard Tim’s comment and found it funny. “I imagine your snarky voice all the time. It’s one of the things I miss the most about you. I know I’ve told you that a million times, but I’m going to hear your voice again soon and I expect the first thing out of your mouth to be sass. Maybe something about me taking my sweet ass time to see you again.”

“I can get more creative than that.”

“I’m sure you could come up with something better, but I’ve got to wait to find out. I’ve been doing it this long, I can wait a little longer. Like I said, I’ve got a plan for when I see you again and the first thing I’m going to do is kiss you silly. It’ll be the best kiss you’ve ever had.”

“Big promise. You better be able to keep it.”

“I love you. See you soon, dollface.”

“Can’t wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)). Collab art by Tanekore/Jaykore can be found ([here](http://jaykore.tumblr.com/post/163514749090/jaytimweek-summer-2k17-day-5-road-trip-island)).


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